Athlete summary
If you opt in and share cycle phase, Koyaro may space the next hard day a bit more conservatively after a hard session in late luteal, and will trust your TQR / wellbeing when judging recovery. It will not cut your FTP targets because it is luteal, and it will not auto-skip VO2 or threshold during menstruation or a pill break.
Missing phase → today's load-based spacing and readiness path unchanged. This is individual and optional — not a rigid cycle-syncing template.
Why recovery, not watts
Righi & Barroso (Int J Sports Sci Coach 2026): in trained cyclists, absolute HIIT power was similar and critical power unchanged across late follicular vs late luteal. The clear miss was 24-h recovery: TQR was lower in late luteal after both HIIT and a time trial (large effect sizes). Same-session recovery was not different.
Carlin et al. (Scand J Med Sci Sports): on already-planned high-intensity days, time in the high-effort state was lower during menstruation (OC pill-break) than mid-follicular. Easy / long / medium sessions showed no phase effect. That is an observed effort pattern, not a prescription to move VO2 or threshold off those days.
Coach line: Don't cut her FTP because it's luteal — space the next quality day and believe TQR / RPE.
Caveats: small samples, calendar-estimated phases, large individual scatter. Many athletes have no consistent swing. Opt-in only.
What the engine does
| Input | Effect |
|---|---|
| Phase missing / unknown | Default min_quality_gap_days=1 (load-only). No bias. |
luteal + hard yesterday | Pass min_quality_gap_days=2 into the spacing hook. |
luteal + TQR / wellbeing present | Prefer that subjective signal over HRV for day-of recovery bias. |
menses / oc_break | Noted only — no auto-skip of quality roles. |
| Any phase | intensity_modifier from phase is always 1.0 — no wattage haircut or follicular bonus. |
owns the HRV + RHR + wellbeing quality-day gate — Multi-signal morning gate for quality days (HRV + RHR + wellbeing). This article only covers cycle-phase spacing / TQR preference. REDs / LEA is separate (energy availability, not cycle phase).
Citations
| Key | Paper | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|
righi-2026-cycle-recovery | Righi & Barroso. Menstrual cycle phases affect recovery more than performance in trained cyclists. Int J Sports Sci Coach. 2026. doi 10.1177/17479541251407281 | HIIT power / CP similar; 24-h TQR lower in late luteal after HIIT and TT. |
carlin-cycle-effort-states | Carlin, Dupuit, Storme, Chassard, Meignié, Sachet et al. Impact of menstrual cycles or combined oral contraception on training loads assessed using latent effort states in female elite cyclists. Scand J Med Sci Sports. doi 10.1111/sms.70045 | On HI days, high-effort time lower in menses / OC break than mid-follicular; easy/long/medium unaffected. |